AI Models Seeking Govt Funding Must Address Sector Specific Problems: MeitY's Abhishek Singh

With the government's IndiaAI Mission inviting proposals from startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs to develop state-of-the-art foundational artificial intelligence (AI) models, a top government official said that the proposed AI models must address cross-sectoral challenges and will be funded based on their problem-solving approach.

“The price structure of India’s foundational model depends on its way to approach the problem, number of team members, etc,” said Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.

Singh also said that the proposed model can be small, large and multimodal but it should be built on the dataset trained on Indian context so that it can relate with the people of India. 

He also informed that the proposed model will also be assessed on the basis of its sustainability in the coming future. 

This virtual Q & A session was organised by the MeitY and IndiaAI to address different queries regarding process, licensing, funding and deployment of India’s foundational AI model. 

Singh addressed various questions from startups, entrepreneurs, and the media. In response to a query about whether a foreign-based company could submit a proposal, he stated that a consortium of companies, individuals, researchers, and experts is allowed. However, once the model is selected, it must be consolidated into a single entity and it must belong to India. 

He also added that whoever built the model will retain the IP rights eventually. 

India’s AI mission is gaining momentum as the country prepares to launch its foundational model. The government is investing significant resources and funds to develop the best solutions. Numerous startups and entrepreneurs are actively participating in the process, submitting proposals for a safe and efficient AI model. 

Among all the parameters, MeitY is committed to develop a foundational model with an India-centric approach incorporating Indian cultural nuances.